Origins: A Danny Phantom Fic
by rituel
Summary: AU, OOC. This fic is my version of how Danny first got his powers. I'm finally back after two years! Real life can really suck, that's all i've got to say. Notes on chapter 6. Hope to update soon. wish me luck.
1. Prologue: The New Experiment

**Origins: A Danny Phantom Fic**

**Prologue: "The New Experiment"**

**Note: This fic, as some others, does NOT follow the original continuity of the TV series. Both minor and major changes can and will occur.

* * *

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It was a quiet, starless night in Amity Park. The full moon shone above, partially obscured by clouds. Most of the town had gone to sleep, and all the streets were quiet, but for one street, where three teenagers could be seen walking by.

"I'm really not seeing the funny part yet, Tuck." said the only girl of the three, uninterested. She had dark hair, purple eyes, and wore goth attire.

"Let him finish his joke, Sam." said the black-haired boy in the middle. "However lame his joke turns out to be, you should at least give Tucker a chance."

"Yeah, Sam. You never seem to laugh at my- hey, did you just call my jokes lame?" said the other boy, who was wearing eyeglasses and a cap.

"I think he just did." Sam said. "And about not laughing at your jokes, I'm a goth. Gloom is what I do."

"Ignoring that," Tucker said after a moment, "let's get back to my joke. Where was I again? Oh yeah. So the can said to the glass-"

But his joke was cut short by the sound of an explosion, coming from a house not far from where they were standing.

"Uh, Danny? Isn't that _your_ house?" Sam said, pointing at the house.

"It is? Oh, yeah. It is." Danny replied.

"Why don't you seem the least bit worried by the fact that something exploded in there?" Tucker said.

"Nah… I bet it's just my parents doing another one of their crazy experiments." Danny replied lazily, walking towards his house, Sam and Tucker following behind him.

Opening the door, Danny said, "What's with the explosion, Dad? Dad?" Noticing there was nobody in the living room, he said, "I guess they're in the basement. Let's go check."

"Isn't that a bit dangerous, considering the explosion we just heard?" Tuck asked.

"All the more reason to check up on them." Danny said, opening the door to the basement. "They might hurt themselves." he added, chuckling.

* * *

"Hey Mom, hey Dad. Was that an explosion we heard earlier?"

"I'm afraid it was, son." replied Jack Fenton, who was wearing his usual orange jumpsuit and was sitting amongst a pile of rubble.

"What were you doing anyway?" asked Danny, helping his father up.

"It's another one of your father's experiment." replied Danny's mother, Maddie, who was being helped to her feet by Sam.

"And it's bound to be my most promising project yet." Jack said, beckoning them all to a nearby table. "It's a breakthrough in my ghost research. By analyzing remains of ghosts when they disappear and places where they appear, we have found out a common ecto-element that has led us to believe that ghosts exist in a separate world from our own—the 'Ghost Zone'—so I call it." Jack explained.

"And we believe that by compressing these ecto-compounds and processing them and filtering them out, we can create a portal to the Ghost Zone." Maddie said.

"Sounds cool." Danny commented.

"And it would _be_ cool too, if only it doesn't fail all the time."

"'All the time'? You mean you've tried this before?"

"Well, something like this, but not _exactly_ like this. Anyway, it was a long time ago. No use talking about the past, especially when it's a failure. Come on, Maddie, it's back to the drawing board for us." Jack said, leaving the basement with Maddie, ignoring the fact that Danny and the others were still there.

"Wow, a Ghost Portal, huh?" said Tucker in slight amazement.

"I wouldn't put too much faith in it if I were you, Tuck. My parents' experiments always almost certainly end in disaster."

"_Almost_ certainly? Why 'almost' certainly?" asked Sam.

"Well, they _are_ my parents after all. I've gotta give them at least _some_ respect, right?" returned Danny, grinning.

"But still, the _Ghost Zone_, Danny. How cool is that?" Tucker said, slightly oblivious of the brief words exchange between Danny and Sam.

"Anyway, Tuck, we should just leave it be for the time being."

"Yeah, you heard what Danny's parents said, this thing isn't finished yet."

"So what?" Tucker said stubbornly.

"So it's not worth checking into. Duh." Danny replied.

"Yet." Sam said. "I've got a feeling that this experiment might just be interesting once it's finished."

"_If_ it ever gets finished, that is." Danny said. "Now come on, I think I sense my parents calling."

"Danny, come on! You'll miss dinner!" Maddie shouted from upstairs.

"Good call." Tucker said to Danny.

* * *

**Author's Note(s)**

**Like I said before, this fic doesn't follow the original continuity, so changes will happen.**

**This is my first Danny Phantom fic, so go easy on me.**

**This is only a PROLOGUE. I'll continue only if ppl like this (i.e. I get positive reviews)**


	2. One: One Disastrous Night

**Danny Phantom: Origins**

**Chapter One: One Disastrous Night **

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Danny Phantom franchise.**

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"Bye Danny! See ya tomorrow!" Tucker said, several minutes after dinner.

"Yeah. See ya." Danny said, holding the door open.

"Thanks for dinner, Mr. and Mrs. Fenton." Sam said, stepping outside.

"Oh, it was nothing, Sam. Really." Maddie replied. "Careful on your way home!"

"And now that that's over, it's time for me to get some sleep." Danny said, climbing the stairs.

"Don't you have homework to do?" said Jasmine "Jazz" Fenton from the top of the stairs. "Because I distinctly remember you saying, and I quote, 'That darn Lancer and his book reports. As if we haven't reported enough books already.'" She said in a preaching manner.

"Oh put a lid on it, Jazz." Danny retorted, annoyed. "I can do it later. It's due Wednesday."

"Tomorrow _is_ Wednesday, wise guy."

"It is?" Danny said, slightly bewildered. "Oh, well. Tough luck. But I bet I'm not the only one who hasn't done the report." He said, entering his room.

"Danny!"

"Yeah, good night to you too, sis." Danny said, closing the door.

* * *

"Well class," said Mr. Lancer the next morning, "I believe you I gave you a book report assignment last week, and guess who's the only one who didn't do it" he said in singsong as the rest of the class laughed. 

"Great going, Fen-TURD!" Dash said, chucking a ball of paper at Danny.

"I hope you have a good reason for this, Mr. Fenton, or you're in big trouble."

Just then, the bell rang, much to Mr. Lancer's dismay and to Danny's delight.

"Saved by the bell." Mr. Lancer said darkly.

"Oh well. What luck. See you around. Bye bye." Danny said without pausing for breath, then zoomed out of the classroom.

"That was close." Danny said once outside.

"Tell me about it. That wouldn't be the first time you got detention in Lancer's class." Tucker said.

"In fact, it would be the fifteenth time this month, had it actually happened." Sam said, earning a look from Danny. "What? I was just pointing it out." she said innocently.

"Hey Fenton! Nice going in Lancer's class!" Dash said mockingly.

"Cut it, Dash, I'm not in the mood." Danny retorted, slightly annoyed.

"Since when did you have a say, huh?"

"Good point." Danny said, and the next thing he new he was yet again shoved in a locker. "Uh, guys? A little help? Sam? Tuck?"

"Just a minute, Danny. This door seems to be broken." Tucker said, struggling to open the locker door.

"Oh great. Looks like I'm gonna be here a while."

"Well look on the bright side, Danny." Sam said, trying to cheer him up.

"Which would be?"

"This is the first time you've been shoved in a locker in two weeks! It's gotta be an improvement of some sort, right?"

"I got it!" Tucker said gleefully, throwing his hands in the air.

"Yeah, well… whatever. Thanks Tuck." Danny added, stepping out of the locker.

"So anyway, how's that Ghost Portal your parents were working on?" Sam said, trying to change the subject.

"Not that good. But they still seem to be high in hopes. Who knows this might actually work."

"We should go check it out sometime." Tucker said.

"Yeah. We'll stop by next week, if that's alright with you."

"Sure thing. You know, I think I'm going home. See you guys tomorrow." Danny said, walking off.

"What's up with him? He isn't usually so down after being shoved into a locker once." Sam said when Danny had gone. Tucker just shrugged in response.

* * *

"I'm home…" Danny said, entering his house. 

"Hey Danny, have you seen the new billboard I put up in front?" Jack said.

"You mean the giant sign reading 'Fenton Works' hanging from the lab in-progress?" Danny asked, to which Jack nodded vigorously. "Nope. Didn't see it."

"Danny, are you okay? You don't look to well." said Maddie.

"Probably it's because he didn't do his homework and got detention." Jazz said in an I-told-you-so manner.

"Not now, Jazz. I think I'm going to crash."

"So soon? But Danny it's not even six yet, and you haven't had dinner." Maddie said, but all she heard was the sound of Danny's room door closing.

* * *

"So Danny, are we good to go to your house tomorrow to check out the Ghost Portal?" Tucker said after school a few days later. 

"Actually, Tuck, I think you should come today. My parents think they finally got it."

"Wow. I think that's the first time you ever thought your parents had a chance. You coming too, Sam?"

"Of course I am. I wouldn't miss this for anything. I mean, the Ghost Zone. It doesn't get much spookier you know." Sam said.

Tucker and Danny then exchanged looks, to which Danny commented, "Well, she _is_ a goth, you know. Dark, spooky stuff are supposed to be her thing."

"Hey! That's stereotyping, and I resent that." Sam said, offended.

* * *

"Hey Mom, hey Dad. You wouldn't mind if Sam and Tucker came to see your first test, right?" 

"Are you joking?" Jack said. "More people the better! They can help spread the word."

"Come on down to the basement, kids. We'll be starting in a moment."

"A wonder what it'll be like?" Sam said, walking with the others to the basement.

"What what would be like?" Danny asked.

"The Ghost Zone."

"I'm no expert on this, but I'm guessing it'll be full of ghosts." Tucker said, which caused Sam to stomp on his foot.

They then stepped – Tucker hopped – into the basement lab, which was now clean and had no trace of the previous accident.

"Put those protective suits on, kids." Jack said, pointing to several hazardous-material suits hung near the door.

"Hey Danny? Who made these suits?" Tucker said, putting one on.

"My Dad." Danny replied, putting one on himself.

"I figured as much." Sam said, holding one up in front of her, staring at Jack's picture on the suit.

Danny, doing the same, said, "Yep. That's Dad for ya."

"Okay kids, step back. We're gonna initiate the Ecto-filtration sequence, which in turn will-" Jack paused, seeing the confused looks on their faces. "We're gonna start the test." he summarized exasperatedly.

"Okay then, Maddie, start the test." Jack said.

"Parameters normal, all systems are working, power levels at 84 percent. 87… 89… 90… 93… 95… 100! Jack, insert the ecto-filtrator."

"Ecto-filtrator inserted, charging, and… initiating filtration sequence." said Jack, as the ecto-filtrator glowed.

"Power levels stable, ghost portal charging."

"Ecto energy at 50 percent."

"Routing power to Ghost Portal. Converting energy levels… success."

"Ecto energy 100 percent. Opening portal." Jack said, as the steel doors of the Ghost Portal opened, emitting bright blue-green light from inside.

"Jack, it's working! I can't believe it's working! It's actually…"

Just then, the power died, and the whole thing went dark.

"… failing." Jack said, finishing Maddie's sentence. "Oh, come on, dear. After that disaster in Wisconsin twenty years ago we should've known this was bound to fail." he said, putting his arm around Maddie and going upstairs with her.

"Sorry to upset you, kids." Maddie said to Sam and Tucker.

"That's okay Mrs. Fenton, after all, failure is part of…" Sam said to the closing basement door.

"I wonder what went wrong?" Danny said, taking off the protective suit. "I mean, they wouldn't have been excited over nothing."

"I agree. This requires some investigating." Tucker said, hanging his protective suit.

"We'll come again tomorrow night." Sam said. "For now, we better get home, 'cause I think our parents might call."

"Sam! Your mother's on the phone! She want's to know when you'll be home!" shouted Maddie from upstairs.

"Good call." Danny said.

* * *

"Danny, you're sure your parent's are asleep, right?" whispered Tuck the next night. 

"Pretty much. Sam, why are you bringing a camera?" Danny asked, noticing the camera hung around Sam's neck.

"Oh, this? I wanted to document this. Our first break-in to Danny's house." Sam replied.

"Okay, one, that is just wrong. Two, you didn't break in, I opened the front door for you." Danny said, opening the basement door.

"Wow, they've left the thing running since yesterday?" Tuck said, pointing at the still-running equipment.

"Yeah. They're hoping to find out what's wrong with the portal." Danny replied, putting on the protective suit. "So remind me again, why _I_ get to check the portal?"

"Because you're the son of the so-called world's leading ghost experts." Tucker said simply.

"And we wouldn't want to risk damaging your parents' experiment, right? Besides, I'm taking pictures." Sam said, taking a picture of Danny in the suit.

"Was that really necessary?" Danny asked, annoyed.

"Not really. Oh, wait. Re-take." Sam said, taking off the emblem of Jack's face from the suit, then taking a picture of Danny. "Much better."

"Okay, so aren't you freaked out?" Tucker asked.

"No. Why should I be?" Danny replied.

"Because if anything goes wrong there's gonna be a catastrophic explosion with you right in the middle of it."

"Okay, now I'm freaked out." Danny said, turning to the Ghost Portal. "But still, the Ghost Zone. Who knows what kinds of awesome, cool stuff is in there."

"Yeah. Bring us something back if you come back alive. Ow!" Tucker yelped in pain as Sam nudged him hard in the ribs. "What? Oh. I mean _when_ you come back alive."

Shrugging, Danny said, "Well, here goes everything." and he entered the Ghost Portal.

The portal, resembling a small tunnel, was dark, and the running machinery made loud noises inside. Even with a flashlight it was hard for Danny to see anything, forcing him to lean on the side walls for support. Suddenly, Danny felt something on the wall as he heard a loud click.

"Huh? What's- AAAAAAAARRGHH!!" Danny shouted as incredible pain coursed through his body. Suddenly the Ghost Portal was filled with a bright green flash of light, alarming Sam and Tucker, who were waiting outside.

"Danny!" Sam and Tucker shouted in unison.

"Quick! We gotta shut this thing!" Sam said, rushing to one of the machinery.

"You don't need to tell me that! How do we shut it off!" Tucker shouted over the sound of Danny's screams.

"I dunno, _you're_ supposed to be the tech guy! Just look for an emergency off switch or something!"

Just then, there was a small explosion from inside the portal, throwing Danny out from it. Sam and Tucker immediately rushed to help him.

"Danny! Danny are you okay?" Sam said, frantically shaking him.

"You know, I'm kinda amazed by the fact that Danny survived that, and even more amazed by the fact that nobody noticed that explosion." Tucker commented.

"This isn't the time for that, Tuck! Something's wrong with Danny!" Sam said, and for good reason. The colors of the black and white protective suit had become inverted – black became white, white became black. Danny's hair color had changed from black to snow-white, and from his half-open eyelids peeked out not sky blue orbs; instead his eyes were green and had an eerie glow to them.

"Right. Speaking of which, where _is_ he?" Tucker said, turning around to see.

"What? Can't you see I'm holding- nothing…?" Sam said, for as she looked at where Danny was supposed to be, she couldn't see him. Then, just as suddenly, Danny reappeared in her arms.

"Danny?" Sam said, confused. Then there was a loud thud as Danny hit the floor.

"Sam!" Tucker shouted.

"It wasn't me, he just sort of- went through me! Oh my God." Sam added in shock, because Danny was no longer lying on the floor, but he was floating in midair right in front of them.

Slowly, Danny begun to regain consciousness. "Uh… Sam? Tuck?" he said groggily. "What happened? Why are you guys looking at me like that?"

Too shocked to speak, Tucker just tapped Danny's shoulder and pointed down. When Danny saw that he was suspended in midair, he intended to jump out of reflex, but ended up zooming toward the ceiling.

"Danny! Look out!" Tucker hollered, but it was too late, Danny hit the ceiling – hard – and crashed on the floor. As Sam and Tucker rushed to help him, two rings of light appeared around him as he changed back to normal. As Tucker and Sam hoisted Danny on their shoulders, they noticed another thing; a glowing green light had been illuminating the room, and they had just noticed why: the Ghost Portal had been activated.

"This might not be so good." Tucker said.

"No, in fact it's turning out to be one freakishly horrifying night." Sam replied, as they stared into the swirling green contents of the Ghost Portal.

* * *

**Author's Note(s)**

**Let's just say for all intents an purposes, the Fentons are heavy sleepers.  
****I separated invisibility and intangibility for this one (I dunno if they really are separate)  
****I'm open to suggestions about the villain for this fic. I was thinking Skulker, but if anyone has better ideas you're welcome to contact me.  
So the chapter didn't turn out as good as I would expect. In my defense, I was ill while i was writing this. Pls Review and be honest! **


	3. Two: Enter the Ghosts

**Danny Phantom: Origins**

**Chapter Two: Enter the Ghosts

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The next morning, Danny Fenton woke up to the sound of his name being called.

"Danny? Danny! Sam, I think he's waking up! Danny, are you okay?" he heard Tucker's voice say. Danny then opened his eyes to find himself in his bed, with Sam and Tucker on either side of him; evidently they had spent the night in his room.

"Sam? Tuck? Ow… my head hurts…" Danny said, sitting up on his bed.

"Whoa… take it easy, man." Tucker said

"How are you feeling?" Sam asked.

"I feel… strange…"

"You _look_ strange too." Tucker said bluntly.

"What're you talking about?" Danny asked curiously, getting up from his bed. He then walked to the mirror-desk his mother had given him to take a good look.

"Danny, I just wanna warn you that this might be a bit of a shock for you." Sam said.

"Don't worry, Sam. He can handle it." Tucker reassured her confidently.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!" Danny screamed in horror, as what he saw in the mirror wasn't his usual self. His reflection – and consequently, he himself – was wearing the same protective suit he remembered from last night, only with different colors. Not only that, his hair had gone from black to snow-white. He shut his eyes tight, hoping when he opened it he would be normal again, but when he opened them, he found himself even more shocked as his eyes had become green in color, and to freak him out even more, they were _glowing_.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!" he screamed again.

"Then again, maybe not." Tucker said.

"Kids, is everything alright up there?" came Maddie's voice from downstairs. This caused Danny to jump out of panic, and once again he found himself suspended in midair.

"AAAAAAAAAHHH!!" Danny screamed for the third time.

"Danny! Shhh! You're parents might come up here!" Sam said.

"Yeah. Calm down, man." Tucker said.

"Calm down? You're telling me to calm down? Would you be able to _calm down_ if you found yourself _mutated_?" yelled Danny exasperatedly.

"Kids, are you sure everything's fine? I'm coming up." Maddie said.

"Quick, Danny! Get down here and hide!" Sam said.

"Or better yet, turn back to normal." Tucker added.

"I… I dunno how!" Danny said, panicking.

"Well then hide!" Sam said, as Danny unconsciously turned invisible just in time, because just then Maddie opened the door.

"Kids? Is everything-?"

"Everything's fine, Mrs. Fenton. Tucker just had a nightmare." Sam said, thinking quick.

"Really? 'Cause that scream earlier sounded a lot like Danny…" Maddie said.

"Danny? He's… uh… at the… toilet! Yeah. He's in the bathroom." Sam said, pushing Maddie outside.

"If you say so, Sam… Are you sure everything's okay?"

"Uh… eheh… Peachy." Sam said nervously, closing the door.

"'Peachy'?" Tucker said, lifting an eyebrow. Sam just grumbled and pushed him out of the way. Just then, Danny suddenly transformed back to normal, causing him to fall, hard, on both Sam and Tucker.

"Sorry guys," Danny said, standing up, "but I haven't quite got the hang of this. Whatever _this_ is." he added, helping his friends up.

"Wait, you don't remember?" Tucker asked.

"Is there anything in particular I'm supposed to remember?" Danny returned.

"Oh, well… sit down." Sam said, motioning him to the side of the bed. "Tell us the last thing you remember and we'll start from there."

It turns out Danny could hardly remember anything from the previous night, save for going to the lab and checking the Ghost Portal. After that everything was pretty much a blur to him, so Sam and Tucker filled him in on what happened afterwards.

"So you're saying these… powers I have are… _ghost powers_?" Danny said once they had finished.

"It's only logical. It _is_ a _Ghost_ Portal, after all." Tucker said.

"And my parents…?"

"They don't know about it. Yet." Sam confirmed.

After a few minutes' silence, Tucker said, "Sooo… whaddaya gonna do now that you've got ghost powers?"

"I… dunno. I haven't even got control over them yet. Though I _could_ use them to get back at Dash and his cronies." Danny said.

"Well, you'll have to work on _that_ later. School's out for about a month." Sam said.

"_What_? Why?" Danny asked, dumbfounded.

"Oh yeah, you were out most of the morning. It was just reported in the morning news that an explosion of unknown cause happened last night at Casper High, destroying most of the school." Sam explained.

"And I've estimated that the repairs might take at least a month." Tucker added, pulling out his trusted PDA.

"A month, eh?" Danny said.

"Yeah." Sam said. "Plenty of time for us to help you get the hang of your ghost powers, eh?"

"What do you mean '_we_'?" Tucker complained.

"Oh, and I suppose _you_ have something better to do?" Sam said sarcastically. "I thought so." she said when he didn't respond.

Two weeks had passed, and since then Danny had only managed to master the transformation and flight, albeit with some difficulty. He hasn't managed to get a grasp on any of the other abilities yet; he still finds himself phasing through the bed, having spoons pass through him, and on more than one hilarious occasion his legs became intangible, causing his pants to drop.

Danny's parents found out that the ghost portal was functional the previous week, when they finally decided to accept failure and start work on their new invention, currently called "Ghost in a Bottle", which supposedly can catch ghosts. Seeing that their portal actually worked ("I guess it takes some time to kick in." Danny had told them) got their spirits back up and in no time at all they had all kinds of new designs for ghost-hunting gadgets.

Despite having been opened, though, Jack and Maddie didn't make an attempt to pass through the Ghost Portal, reasoning that once they went in, ghosts would start coming from the other side. They theorized that even though the Portal worked both ways, its presence wouldn't be known until something actually passed through.

The remainder of the 'holiday' passed by and before they knew it, Danny, Sam, and Tucker were back in school.

"Good morning class," Mr. Lancer said on their first day back, "I hope you've been studying during our not-so-brief break, because we're having…" he took out his briefcase and unlocked it, "… a pop quiz." he finished, earning the moans and grumbles of complaint from the class.

"Man, that quiz was murder!" Tucker said during recess.

"Yeah, tell me about it." Sam agreed. "I mean, that quiz had stuff we haven't even started on! Right Danny? Danny?" she said, waving her hand in front of Danny's face.

"You might as well give up, Sam." Tucker said, pointing to a girl in the direction Danny was facing.

"Paulina." Sam muttered heatedly, crushing the soda can in her hand.

"What's up with _you_?" Tucker asked.

"It's nothing." Sam replied, obviously annoyed. "I just have a _small_ thing against popular… hey is she waving at us?" she said confusedly.

"No way." Tucker said, shocked, as Danny waved back wordlessly with enthusiasm.

Just then, one of Paulina's friends passed by from behind them, which suddenly explained everything.

"See? I told you 'no way'. Hey, why is everybody laughing?" He added, for everyone around them was pointing at their direction – to be precise, at Danny. Apparently he was so embarrassed at what had happened that he had unintentionally triggered his intangibility, causing his pants to once again fall off, but this time in front of practically the whole school.

"Oh great. That was the most embarrassing moment of my life!" Danny said exasperatedly.

"Yeah. You just destroyed your whole reputation. Before you even had one. That's gotta be a record of some sort." Sam said.

"Thanks for the support, Sam." Danny said sarcastically.

"Anytime."

"You seem happy." Tucker pointed out.

"Do I? I'm not _feeling_ happy, if that's what you're implying. I mean, why should I be happy?"

"Why indeed?" Tucker said suspiciously, folding his arms.

Danny got home that day to find quite a surprising sight: his parents were struggling with what seemed to be _real_ ghosts. Not only that, there were two others floating around, apparently attacking Maddie and Jack.

"Danny! Perfect timing. Give us a hand before- oh, too late." Jack said, disappointed as one of the ghosts they were struggling with broke free and zoomed out of the house.

"Was that a-?" Danny asked, nonplussed.

"Ghost." Jack said, finishing Danny's sentence. "Yes, we just found out that they've been coming out of our ghost portal. Goodness knows how long they've been at it."

"So you're saying… ghosts have invaded Amity Park?"

"Well, not 'invaded'… it's really more along the lines of 'infiltrated'."

"Invaded, infiltrated, same thing basically. The point is they're here, right?"

Jack and Maddie nodded.

"And… possibly more of them are coming, right?"

They nodded again.

"But no need to worry, son, because we have _this_!" Jack exclaimed, pulling out a metallic thermos from his jumpsuit.

"A _thermos_?" Danny said, slightly confused.

"Wrong. It's our new ghost-catching device. The _Fenton Thermos_!" Jack shouted proudly. "And this invention actually works." he added.

"Uh… Jack?" Maddie said.

"Yes dear?"

"Danny's already in his room." she said, pointing upstairs.

"You're saying _ghosts_ have invaded Amity Park?" Sam said over the phone, later that night.

"Wait a second, Tucker's calling. I'll put it on three-way." Danny said. "You were saying, Sam?"

"So ghosts have invaded Amity Park?" Sam repeated.

"Well actually, my dad prefers 'infiltrate', but yeah, they're here."

"You _do_ know it's the same thing, basically, right?" Tucker said.

"That's what I told my dad."

"Guys, focus! There are _ghosts _in Amity Park. We've got to do something!" Sam said urgently.

"Why us?" Danny complained.

"I guess the fact that we caused the Portal through which they came to open has something to do with it." Tucker said.

"Precisely. And now that you have ghost powers, Danny, you're more cut out for this than anyone else."

"Yeah, think about it, man. You could be a hero."

"I dunno, guys. Ghost fighting? It sounds dangerous." Danny said doubtfully.

"You're the only one who can do it, Danny." Sam said. There were indistinct sounds over the phone, and then she said, "Listen guys, I gotta go now. Danny," she paused, "you're the only one who stands a chance against the ghosts. Think about it. Good night." she said, closing the phone.

"Yeah, I gotta go too, man. See you at school." Tucker said.

"Yeah. Bye."

"Hey, have you heard? Have you heard?" Danny and Sam overheard someone say, two days later, at the cafetaria.

"Yeah. Another ghost sighting, right?" replied the other.

"Yeah, only this time it was less of a sighting and more of an attack." said the first, sitting down.

"What d'you mean?"

"Well, different from the previous ones, this ghost was, and I quote 'aggressive'. The guy actually got hospitalized for it."

There was still more to the conversation, but Danny and Sam left to find Tucker.

"You see, Danny? They're getting hostile!" Sam said, walking up the stairs. "You've gotta do something!"

"I know, I know! But what can I do? Most of the places these things happen are some miles away from home. You can't expect me to just fly off, leave home."

"Actually, I do." Sam said bluntly as they passed a crowd of running people. "Hey, why are all these people running?"

Suddenly somebody turned into the corridor running, screaming, "GHOST! There's a GHOST!"

"Oh. That's why." Sam said, as if the matter were nothing.

"You seem calm." Danny commented.

"Of course. I mean, it's just a ghost, how bad could it be?" Sam said confidently.

Just then, a giant, green figure crashed through the wall, sending a few lockers and large chunks of wall flying at their direction.

"_That_ bad!" Danny said. "Stand back, Sam. I'm going ghost!" he said. "Hey, that's a nice catchphrase." he added, just before transforming. The ghost obviously noticed Danny, and went flying straight at him.

"All right, Danny. Let's see what you've got." Danny said to himself, flying at the ghost.

* * *

**Author's Note(s)**

**I have absolutely no idea how three-way phone calls work, but all I know is they exist. (I don't think it exists where I am)**

**It's not as much as a cliffhanger, as it is a bad case of writer's block. Kindly review.**


	4. Three: Ghost Fight

**Danny Phantom: Origins**

**Chapter Three: Ghost Fight

* * *

**

Sam stood rooted to the ground as she watched Danny battle the monster, which had the appearance of a giant slime ball with equally gigantic arms and menacing teeth. She waited there in case she had to get them out of there, should Danny be knocked unconscious.

The ghost charged full speed at Danny, who was waiting for the right moment to dodge. He easily evaded the first attack by flying, but received the full blow of the second after failing to avoid it – he clearly hadn't fully mastered flying yet.

"Ouch." He said, getting back up. "I really need to get some practice in."

"Danny, look out!" Sam shouted.

Danny reacted just in time to jump out of the way of the slime ball that was shot at him. He recovered, dodged a second and third slime ball, and flew straight at the ghost, hitting it right between the eyes, sending it flying outside through the wall.

"Well that wasn't too bad." Danny said. Just as he finished his sentence, screams were heard from outside the school. "Cancel that, it just got worse." he said, flying outside after the ghost.

Outside, the ghost was terrorizing the students, binding them with slime balls. Too busy analyzing the situation, the ghost managed to catch Danny off guard and bind him in midair with slime, giving it more time to go after the students.

Meanwhile, Sam had managed to follow them outside – "Running a few flights of stairs is _much_ less convenient than flying." she said – and saw what was going on.

"What the heck would that thing want with the students?" Sam asked herself.

"Sam!" Danny shouted. "I could use a little help here!"

"Danny! Well get down here so I can help! We can't _all_ fly, you know." she replied, half irritated.

"Quick, get this stuff off me so I can go after it." Danny said, floating down.

"I can't cut through it, it's too tough!" Sam said.

Suddenly the ghost, returning from its little escapade, shot Sam with slime, binding her as well.

"SAM!" Danny yelled, but before he could do anything the ghost tackled him, sending him several feet into the air. The ghost then approached Sam, who was still unable to move because of the binds.

"Sam!" Danny shouted, recovering from his fall. "Get away from her, you…" Danny started, but he froze mid-sentence, as something caught his attention.

Apparently the ghost can grow and create its own appendages from slime, for protruding from its back was a long tail. But that what got Danny's attention wasn't the tail, but what it was _holding_. The tail was curled around, much to Danny's horror, Tucker's unconscious body.

"Tucker! Sam!!" Danny shouted, struggling with his binds. "Get… away… from… MY FRIENDS!" he yelled, and with a sudden surge of power he broke free from the slime holding him. He flew straight at the ghost at incredible speed and sent it flying into the air. He chased after it, dodged its counter attacks, and delivered a few blows of his own.

Meanwhile, Tucker and Sam were still struggling with their restraints. Once again they proved to be too hard to break; rubbing them against shards of sharp steel from the broken walls only made the steel dull, and other sharp objects such as glass simply shattered.

The ghost managed to get through Danny's barrage of punches and got in a few punches of its own. Danny tried to fly away, but the ghost caught him by the legs and hurled him to the football field nearby. Danny slammed his back against one of the goalposts, causing it to bend. A second attack from the ghost slammed him against it again, causing it to break.

Angered, Danny lifted the whole goalpost and swung it at the ghost, hitting its side, smashing it into the stadium wall. "Whoa. I guess ghost powers give you superhuman, or rather _in_human, strength." Danny said, amazed by the feat he just accomplished.

The ghost emerged from the rubble and made to attack Danny again, but this time Danny was prepared, and countered with a multitude of punches, effectively defeating the ghost. He then slammed the ghost to the ground, and then stomped on it when it tried to get up.

"Give it up, it's over." Danny said. Pride swelled up inside him as the realization of the victory crept into him. He, Danny Fenton, had defeated a _ghost_. He had saved the whole school, perhaps the whole _town_. Just as these thoughts seeped into him, the ghost suddenly grabbed his leg, grinning menacingly.

"What are _you_ laughing at?"

Suddenly, the ghost glowed brightly, and muttered what sounded to Danny like, "_ul…kerr…_" and with one great flash of light, it exploded soundlessly, sending ectoplasmic slime in all directions, and knocking Danny out.

* * *

**Author's Note(s)**

**I dunno what the goalposts are actually called since I don't play American football.**

**Sorry for the long update, and the EXTREMELY short chapter, but as I said before, I've got a bad case of writer's block. I'll try to update ASAP.**

**Yes, I'm sure all of you know by know who the main villain is going to be. Though i'm gonna try to make him much more menacing.**


	5. Four: Complications, Complications

**Danny Phantom: Origins**

**Chapter Four: Complications, Complications…**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT, and WILL NOT ever own anything from the Danny Phantom franchise.

* * *

It had been four days since the Slime Ghosts attack on Amity Park, and life had resumed as usual. The school had begun its reparations for the damage caused during the attack, but classes that took place in the fourth floor were either free periods or moved to other classrooms.**

On one such free period, Danny, Tucker, and Sam found themselves aimlessly wandering the hallways, discussing the most recent ghost attacks, most of which were not publicized, save for minor mentions in the local news network and small columns in the daily paper.

Danny was just mentioning his latest encounter with an obnoxious ghost, calling itself the "Box Ghost" when, while turning into a corridor he bumped, hard, into somebody who was carrying a small stack of books, scattering them everywhere.

"Oh my gosh, I am SO sorry about that. I'm such a klutz. Are you okay?" said the girl, picking up her books while Danny lifted himself up.

"Yeah… yeah I'm fine. Here, let me help you with that." Danny said absently, helping her with her books while checking himself for anything remotely worth concern.

"Thanks." The girl said as Danny handed over her books.

"No prob-…" Danny started, but his sentence was cut short as he observed the girl for the first time. Her brown hair was shoulder length, was parted at the side, and was let loose. Her eyebrows were slightly more arched than anyone else Danny had ever met, giving a somewhat softer look to her otherwise cold steel-gray eyes.

She wore a white shirt with sleeves that ended just below her elbow, with some flower-like patterns extending from the upper back of the shirt down to the left sleeve. The upper buttons of the shirt were open, revealing that the knee-length shirt she was wearing was in fact a dress, with small frills at the hem and patterns on the bottom left side similar to that on her shirt. There wasn't anything particularly pretty about her, though she wasn't at all ugly, but it was as if there was a certain radiance about her. At least, that's what Danny felt.

"Danny? Danny, are you still there? Hello?" Sam said, waving her hand in front of Danny's eyes. "He does this sometimes." She added to the girl.

"Allow me." Tucker said, motioning Sam aside. Suddenly Tucker hit Danny, hard, in the back of his head, bringing him out of his reverie. "There you go." Tucker said proudly.

"Ouch! Hey!" Danny protested.

"Umm… if you don't mind, I'd like my book back?" the girl said, pointing at the textbook still in Danny's hand.

"Uh… right. Sorry about that." Danny replied, giving the book back.

"Thanks."

"Are you new here? 'Cause I've never seen you here before." Sam said pointedly.

"Yes. My name's Naomi. I just moved to Amity Park two days ago."

"Right." Danny said. "What're you doing carrying those chemistry books? Chem lab's a floor below." He pointed to the direction she came from.

"Right. I seem to find myself kind of lost." Naomi said.

"It doesn't matter anyway. Chemistry's also out for the time being. What with the repairs and all." Tucker explained.

"Yeah, so this is a free period. What've you got after that?" Danny asked.

"Um… let's see… history." Naomi replied.

"Same as us. Why don't you just hang out with us instead?" Danny offered.

"Well… I dunno…" she said doubtfully.

"Come on, we'll show you around the school."

"Well, I haven't got anything better to do…"

"Wait a second." Sam suddenly interrupted. "We're sorry, Naomi, but apparently Danny forgot that we have _plans_ today." She said, sounding oddly irritated.

"We do?" Danny said as Sam grabbed his and Tucker's arms.

"Well, I'll see you guys around, then!" Naomi shouted as the three of them disappeared into a corner.

* * *

"What was _that _all about?" Danny asked later after school, sounding thoroughly annoyed.

"Nothing." Sam replied bluntly, sounding equally irritated. "I've never seen you so… _warm_ to strangers before."

"That's it? _That's it?_ Damn it, Sam, you're impossible! Since when do you care, anyway?" Danny began to feel angry at his friend for reasons he himself wasn't sure of.

"I don't!" Sam replied heatedly. An awkward silence fell between them during the rest of their walk home.

"Bye." Was all Danny said to them when they arrived at his house. Without another word, Danny shut the door on them and immediately went upstairs.

"You know, he _does_ have a point," Tucker started, but a single glare from Sam immediately silenced him.

* * *

Over the next couple of days Danny and Sam still hadn't made up with each other, causing much grief for Tuck, who was uncertain of whom to side with. Finally, Tuck was forced to side with Sam, after she argued that he "always sides with Danny!" A statement they all knew very well was too true.

Since then, Danny found himself spending more time with Naomi, since Sam refused to talk to him and he was still sore at Tuck for siding with her. And it didn't hurt to see the look on Sam's face each time she saw them together.

Rumors quickly spread throughout the school because of their spending time together, though neither paid much attention to it. After the first few days, the intensity of the rumors quickly subsided, for there was always something new to talk about in Amity Park, and this time it was once again about ghosts.

Ghost appearances had increased in Amity Park, which caused Danny more grief as he struggled to remain below the radar. His more frequent appearances caused his alter-ego to become increasingly known throughout Amity Park, making that a near-impossible feat now. His grades were steadily declining because of this as well, and it didn't help that Sam and Tucker weren't there to help him.

Although his grades were no immediate danger, he knew that eventually his ghost-fighting and school duties would clash with each other, and he would - for a time – have to withhold his hero activities. He knew he had to do something, but what, he did not know. He could ask for Naomi's help, for she had proven herself a straight-A student, but then he might have to risk revealing his secret, and he didn't yet know whether she could be trusted that much.

Yet if he did nothing, his grades would fail and he would risk having his parents called. And if that happened, he knew his parents would force him to study more, which would put an end – at least temporarily – to his ghost-fighting days. Should that happen, his parents, or at least his mom would notice that the so-called "Ghost-Boy" was absent during that time.

Making up with Sam seemed to be no longer an option, for every time he called her she was mysteriously not home or busy doing something in her room. And she also refused to return his calls. Seeing it as a lost cause, Danny gave up on trying altogether.

Weighing his options, Danny eventually decided that he should try asking Naomi for help first. About his ghost-fighting adventures, he decided that he would withhold that information from her unless he had no other options. As an afterthought, he decided that in the event that he was forced to reveal his secret and she betrayed him, he could always use his ghost powers to get her to cooperate. Immediately afterwards he shook the thought out of his mind.

* * *

"You need help with your studies?" Naomi said over the phone the next day.

"That's what I'm saying." Danny replied. "I've been kinda busy these days." He added.

"Busy? Doing what?" Naomi said, not quite believing him. Danny grunted in response. "I mean, what could a fifteen year old be so busy doing that it interrupts his studies? What are you, some kind of superhero? Normal student by day, crime-fighting vigilante by night?" She laughed.

_You have no idea…_ Danny thought to himself, laughing at that remark. "So are you helping me or not?"

"I guess there's no harm in it," Naomi said, shrugging to herself. "My place, after school?"

"Right. Though there's a chance I might be late…"

"Why?"

"Like I said, I've been busy."

"Whatever you say, then."

* * *

It turned out that Danny wasn't late the next day, nor for the days after it. The ghost appearances seemed to have somewhat decreased in the following days, giving Danny some breathing space, though not as much as he would have hoped for.

Despite the decrease of ghost attacks, Sam had become increasingly hostile towards Danny. Her actions had moved from giving him the cold shoulders to glaring him daggers every time they met in the hallways, ever since she found out about his studying trips to Naomi's house. He still had no idea what she was so upset, or rather, furious about, as she still refused to talk to him.

"Could you _please_ ask her what she's so steamed about?" Danny said to Tucker one day during last period. Sam happened to be out of town with her family that day, so it was safe for Tucker to talk to him without being scolded.

"'Steamed'… that's an odd word to use…" Tucker commented.

"That's aside from the point, Tuck. I need to know what she's so mad about if I want to have any chance of making up with her, which I happen to know would benefit you as well."

"I dunno, Danny. She's not telling me that either. Listen, I'm no genius," Danny lifted an eyebrow. "Okay, maybe I am a bit, but I have a feeling it's got something to do with Naomi."

"Naomi?" Danny said incredulously. "What the heck's wrong with Naomi? She's my friend."

"And she's a girl." Tucker said, trying to imply something.

"So is Sam," Danny retorted.

"My point exactly. Before Naomi came along, Sam and I were the only close friends you had, Sam being the only girl close to you."

"What're you saying?" Danny asked, having a bad feeling of where this was going.

Sighing, Tucker said, "Didn't you think that Sam might feel… jealous about you and Naomi?"

"Jealous?" Danny said, taken aback. "She's just my _friend._ So is Sam."

"Didn't it ever occur to you that Sam doesn't think of you as _just _a friend? That she might think of you as something… more?"

"More? What d'you-" Danny started, but before he could finish, the bell rang, and everybody filed out of class.

_More?_ Danny thought. _What the heck does that mean? Could it be that-_ he immediately shook the thought that came to him as he saw Naomi waiting outside for him. _Nah, it couldn't be_.

* * *

**Author's Note(s)**

**I am terribly sorry for the extremely long update, and I'm perfectly aware that this short chapter will not make up for it. A lot has happened to me lately, but I will make no excuses. Feel free to flame this chapter.**

**Yes, Naomi is an OC… designed to add spice to the story. I suck at romance fics.**

**You will notice the return of the line border thingies.. i just realized that the asterisks and dashes i used have disappeared from previous chapters, making it difficult to tell the scene changes..**


	6. Note from the author

wow

wow. I haven't been here in years! I've no excuses for that to those who've read my stories, except that 'shit happens'. and sometimes it happens a lot. But now I'm back, and hopefully I can get back to submitting more fics.

that aside, it's clearly been a long time since I last updated, and I've forgotten most of the things that I had planned before, so this story may take a new direction. Also, I'm currently planning a new DP story, working title "Rise of Pariah Dark", which, given my lack of knowledge of the character, will likely be somewhat AU and OOC. I'll really take (and need) any ideas and suggestions you might have for that one.

I'll still be working on this one, and I'm completely open to comments and suggestions, and CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. don't just say I suck, coz I already know that. you gotta tell me WHY I suck.

cheerio.

P.S.

My other story, for Pirates of the Caribbean, entitled "Chronicles of Jack Sparrow", will most likely be deleted, or if anyone's interested, I might put it up for grabs. just make sure to do it justice, and don't forget to give me credits.


	7. Five: Confessions and Conflicts

**Danny Phantom: Origins**

**Chapter Five: Confessions and Conflicts**

"I can't _believe_ he's still hanging out with her!" Sam said frustrated, watching Danny and Naomi talking from a distance.

"It has been almost two weeks, you know. Don't you think it's time you just let it go?" Tucker said, standing beside her. Sam simply grunted in response.

Inside she knew there was truth in what Tucker said. It had been nearly two weeks since they had their argument, and she would normally let things go by that time. But this matter involved Danny. And for reasons unknown – or rather, unwilling to be admitted – when things involved Danny, Sam tended to react… unnaturally.

"See you tonight, then." Sam heard Danny say to Naomi. When she looked, she found that Danny had already disappeared from view. She saw Naomi waving lightly toward what she assumed was Danny (she couldn't see as her vision was blocked). Sam then returned her gaze to Naomi, who suddenly sighed deeply, looking down with eyes full of unknown emotions.

_What the--? What's with that look?_ Sam thought to herself while shaking her head in disbelief. She dared to take another look. Naomi was still standing there, looking down, deep in thought. Before Sam could discern the exact nature of Naomi's emotions, she turned around and left, presumably going home.

Finding no reason to stay there, Sam, too, headed home. Yet somehow she couldn't get the image of the emotional-looking Naomi out of her mind.

_Something is _definitely_ up…_ she thought. _And I'm gonna find out what it is._ An image of Danny and Naomi together suddenly crossed her thoughts. She gritted her teeth, somehow finding the thought disturbing, and walked on home.

* * *

_Why my place all of a sudden?_ Danny thought, putting his bag next to his bed. _I wonder if something's come up…_ Just a few minutes ago, after school, Danny had walked up to Naomi and asked if they were still studying that night at her house. She had told him that something had come up, and asked if they could do it at his place instead. The brief conversation ran over and over in his head, and he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong with her.

"_Hey, Naomi. Tonight at your place, right?" he asked, walking up to her._

"_Actually, something's come up…" she said with some reluctance, "how 'bout your place instead?"_

"_Okay…" he replied, slightly taken aback by the sudden change, "is everything all right?" he added, feeling concerned that something might be wrong._

_Hesitating a moment, Naomi replied, "It's… complicated…"_

_He lifted an eyebrow._

"_I'd really rather not talk about it… for now" She added. "So, see you at your place?"_

"_Right." He said, deciding it best not to press the matter. "See you tonight, then." He said, turning away._

"Why the heck am I thinking about it so much?" Danny said to himself. He was now lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling, staring at the occasional shadows made by his window pane when a car passed by. The sun had nearly set, and he had been too deep in thought to turn on the light. Besides, the low light always seemed to calm him somehow.

He stood up and crossed the room, going for his closet. He had just realized that he had not taken a shower since he got home, and the itch was becoming too much for him to ignore. Besides, there's nothing like a nice shower to cool you down.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want anything for dinner, Sam?" Sam's mother asked for the fifth time that night. She felt concerned for her daughter, who seemed more than a little more gloomy than usual that night; she hadn't left her room since she got home, and the door was locked, to boot.

"No thanks, Mom. I'm not hungry." came her reply.

"Okay, then." Mrs. Manson said. "There's still some in the fridge, in case you change your mind."

"Okay." Sam muttered. "Thanks."

Hesitating a moment, Mrs. Mason asked, "Are you sure you're okay, Sam?" A long moment's silence passed before Sam replied.

"I'm fine." She said bluntly.

"Okay, then." Mrs. Mason said. "Remember, the food's in the fridge." Although she knew Sam was lying, she also knew that there would be no use in pushing the matter further, so she decided to leave it at that and return downstairs.

"Alright, Mom." Sam muttered, though more to herself than to her mother. She lay curled in her bed, staring out through her window, watching as raindrops began to fall upon the city. Her mind was racing with a plethora of things, food being the last of those.

She walked toward her window and gazed at the direction of Danny's house. She had gone there so many times from different places that she knew where it was from wherever she was standing (the fact that his parents' workstation stuck out like a sore thumb helped too).

Sam didn't know whether it was the sudden change in the weather just then, or if it was just her having mood swings, or if it was something else entirely, but she suddenly had a bad feeling that something was going to happen. Something that she might not want. It felt as if there was some forthcoming danger of sorts. Whatever it was, it made her feel uneasy.

She focused her gaze once more to the Fenton household, as if hoping that the house would somehow give her a sign of what was bothering her. She didn't know why, but she somehow felt that something (or someone, she unwittingly thought) in that house held the answers.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Fenton residence, a refreshed Danny had just finished taking a shower. He stepped out of the bathtub, dried himself with a towel, and then put the towel over his head. He put on the fresh pair of boxers he had brought with him, and pulled a pair of jeans over it. Zipping it shut, he paused a moment.

"I've really gotta consider changing my wardrobe." He said to himself, for the only thing he had other than white T-shirts and blue jeans was a tuxedo that belonged to an uncle he'd never heard of, and his ghost outfit. But that didn't really count, he thought, since it was somewhat bonded to his ghost form.

He threw his dirty clothes into a laundry basket beside the sink, and unlocked the bathroom door with one hand, while drying his hair with the other. But upon looking at his reflection on the large mirror placed on the door, he paused.

Apparently the numerous ghost fights he'd been through the past few weeks had shaped his physique quite well. His arms and legs were no longer skeletal as they used to be, but curved slightly. His ribs were didn't stick out anymore; like his arms and legs, the muscles had grown and were clearly defined, although they didn't bulge out.

As Danny was appreciating the changes to his body, the bathroom door suddenly opened. And there, standing wide-eyed in shock, stood Naomi. She stared at Danny (and his newly toned body) and blushed wildly. Danny was too stunned to react and say anything. For several moments they stood there, frozen, their minds struggling to comprehend the situation they were in. After what felt like decades, something clicked in the back of their heads. Naomi gave a small scream and quickly shut the door and turned around, and at the same moment Danny grabbed his fresh shirt and hurriedly put it on.

When Danny opened the door, he was surprised to see Naomi standing at the far side of his room, seemingly fascinated by the wall. "It's okay, I'm dressed now." Danny said awkwardly, shutting the door behind him.

Naomi turned around slowly to see that he was indeed dressed, and to Danny's confusion, giggled. "Your shirt's on backwards, silly." She said, answering his inquiring look.

"Oh… right…" was all Danny could say. Feeling thoroughly embarrassed, he fixed his shirt as Naomi faced the wall again. "Did you need to use the bathroom?" he asked afterwards.

"Wha-? Oh, that." She blushed again. "No, I was just wondering where that door led to."

"Well, now you know." an awkward silence fell between them. Naomi was the first to break the silence.

"So, can we start studying now?" she suggested, eager to change the topic.

"Yeah, sure thing." Danny replied, feeling much the same way.

After a couple of hours of studying – intermingled with dinner, a game of cards, and at least one TV show – they finished.

"Well that was exhausting." Danny exclaimed, slamming his book shut. "After all that studying, they'd better not cancel that test tomorrow."

"Is that likely?" Naomi asked, putting her books in her bag.

"If there's another ghost attack, I suppose." Danny replied thoughtfully. When she didn't respond, he asked, "So, are you gonna go home by yourself, or what?" Realizing how rude that sounded, he quickly added, "Or do you want me to walk you home?"

"No, thanks. My father's picking me up later. You wouldn't mind me staying here a bit longer, would you?"

"Of course not. Do you wanna wait downstairs?" he asked, picking up his books.

"Here's fine, if you don't mind." she replied as he dropped his books haphazardly on his bed. He then thought the better of it and stuffed them in his bag, which he then placed beside the bed.

"So, is there anything you want to do while we wait?" he asked, sitting on the bed. Naomi immediately opened her mouth to speak, then suddenly hesitated. Before either of them could say anything, however, the door suddenly swung open.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to mess around in my room?" said the entering figure. A tall, slim redhead with good looks and an equally good brain, Jasmine Fenton was the spitting image of her mother, save for her longer hair.

"What? What are you talking about?" Danny said, immediately forgetting about Naomi.

"My diary, Danny. Someone's moved it."

"And you think I did it?"

"Well _somebody_ must've done it. It was in my drawer an hour ago, and now it's moved an inch to the left."

"You _measured_ it?" Danny said, caught between disbelief and amusement.

"That's not the point, Danny. I-…"

"Excuse me, but Danny was with me an hour ago."

Noticing Naomi for the first time, Jazz said politely, "Oh. Sorry, I didn't notice you there. You're a friend of Danny's?"

Nodding, Naomi replied, "Yes. My name's Naomi. We were both here studying an hour ago." she added.

"Studying, huh?" Jazz eyed Danny suspiciously. As far as she knew, her brother wasn't exactly the studious type. In any case, she left the room, neglecting to shut the door.

"She seems nice… your sister." Naomi said as Danny closed the door.

"Yeah, well looks can be deceiving. Sibling rivalry and all that." Danny added at Naomi's questioning look.

Naomi was about to reply when her cell phone rang. "It's a text message. From my dad." then her expression changed to disappointment.

"What's wrong?"

"He says he can't pick me up tonight. Something came up at work." she explained. There was something in her tone that indicated that this might not be the first of such occurrences.

"Do you want to stay for the night?" Danny asked, fully realizing the ridiculousness of the suggestion. Luckily for him, Naomi didn't take it the wrong way.

"No thanks, Danny. It's no problem, I can walk home."

"At this hour? Absolutely not." said another voice from outside. A moment later the door swung open to reveal Jack Fenton, in his usual orange jumpsuit, standing outside the door.

"Dad? Wha-…?" Danny stuttered, dumbstruck.

"Absolutely not." Jack repeated. "Nobody visiting the Fenton household will go home on foot."

"But the van's still under construction, Dad."

"Oh. Right. I forgot about that." Jack said. "Well like I said, nobody visiting the Fenton household will go home on foot…"

"Dad…"

"… at least not alone. Danny, you're walking her home."

"I'm _what?_"

"Really Mr. Fenton, that isn't necessary. My house isn't far and…" Naomi began, but she got no further.

"You heard me, Danny. You're walking her home. And I won't hear a word against it." he added to Naomi. And with that, he left the two confused teens to themselves. Less than a minute later, they were both outside, on the way to Naomi's place.

"Well that was odd, even for my dad." Danny said.

"I'd say he's quite… interesting, to say the least."

"'Interesting' isn't the half of it. You should see him going on about ghosts."

"Hmm… perhaps I should." Naomi joked.

"Trust me, it's not pretty, though." Danny replied grinning. For a few moments, they said nothing else and walked on in silence.

* * *

Meanwhile, the doorbell rang at the Fenton house. Light footsteps could be heard inside, followed by Maddie Fenton's voice.

"Coming!" she called out. Soon afterwards, the door swung open.

"Hi, Mrs. Fenton sorry for coming so late. Am I interrupting?" said the visitor.

"Oh, hi, Sam. No, not at all, though it is more than a little late, you know." Maddie said concernedly. "You're soaking wet! Did you fall into… a puddle or something?"

"No, it's raining on my side of town. I'm alright Mrs. Fenton. Is Danny home?"

"I'm afraid you just missed him, honey. He went to walk that girl home… what was her name again?"

Dread began to rise within Sam's heart, and she dared to ask. "Naomi?"

"Yes, that's her. You should come in, otherwise you'll catch a cold. You can wait inside, they said they won't be long."

"No, thanks, Mrs. Fenton." Sam said, and before Maddie could say anything else, she was off.

* * *

"So how far is your home from here, anyway?" Danny asked.

"Not far, just a couple of blocks from the park." she replied. Danny tried to think of something to say that would bring the conversation forward.

"Oh." was all he came up with. He'd always been awkward when it came to girls (with the possible exception of Sam, of course), and he'd never quite been one to strike a conversation. If he could slap himself across the face, he would.

"It's just around the corner of Oak Street and Regency. Not far from the old abandoned windmill."

"Oh, the windmill. Yeah, I've been around there a couple of times."

"Really? When? I don't remember ever seeing you around."

"What? Oh. Um… I didn't really stop by there… it's more of uh… more of a… passing through thing." Danny lied. Of course he'd been there; the windmill was one of the landmarks he used to fly around the city quickly, without having to follow the roads. "Hey, here's the park." He added, trying to change the subject. Fortunately for him, Naomi got the hint (either that, or she's really easy to distract).

"Oh, right. Come on, let's go through it. It's faster than going around."

"Right. Thanks for the explanation; I thought cutting_ through_ the park would take _longer_." Danny said sarcastically. "Do I really look that dumb to you?"

"No," she replied, "you don't _look_ that dumb, you _are_ that dumb."

"Maybe, but that hasn't stopped you from studying with me, has it?"

"Suppose not." Naomi shrugged. Before either of them could say anything else, the rain had finally reached their side of town, and it poured hard.

"Over there!" Naomi said, pointing to a blue, hexagonal kiosk with an extended roof.

* * *

Sam was running. She didn't know where to or what she was running from, or even why she was running, but she did. The rain had caught up with her, and one thing that came from running was that it made her feel slightly warmer. Her focus faltered for a single moment. She slipped. She fell. That was another thing about running in the rain: it completely exhausted her. But she didn't care right now. She picked herself up, and started running once more.

_You're an idiot, Samantha Manson._ She thought to herself, for once using her real name. _What the hell are you running from?_

"Reality." she answered herself bitterly.

_Where are you going?_

"I dunno. Somewhere. _Anywhere_! WHY am I talking to myself?" she tried to stop, but only managed to slip once more, this time spraying mud all over the place.

"Where is this?" she muttered to herself, ignoring the mud that now covered her. She saw a lamppost ahead, and a wooden bench beneath it. _Amity Park City Park. That's a mouthful._ She thought to herself.

Sam walked to the bench, finally realizing how exhausted she was. "I've gotta stop running around in the rain." She sat on the bench, wiping some mud off her face. She looked around her. The park was completely deserted, as far as she could see – which, given the heavy rain and the distance between the park lamps, wasn't very far.

She closed her eyes, tilted her head up, letting the rain wash away her worries and fears (and her mud, mind you). She listened to the gentle rhythm of raindrops, letting it calm and steady the turbulent waves and beats of her heart.

Through the rain, very faintly she heard something else. There were other people in the park. Curiosity got the best of her, and she followed the voices - with some difficulty - through the rain. Soon afterwards, she found the source of the voices. From what Sam could hear – she was hiding because she didn't want to be seen – there were only two people talking, and they were standing by a kiosk.

Sam crept closer from behind the trees, being careful to stay in the shadows to avoid being hidden. The voices became clearer, and Sam could actually hear the words they were saying.

* * *

"Actually, Danny, there is something I've been meaning to tell you." Naomi said, suddenly finding the puddle in front of them very interesting.

"Really? What?" Danny said, being his usual, blunt self.

"Th-the truth is… I-I… actual-ly…" she stuttered.

"You're shivering. Are you sure you're okay?"

Naomi looked up, hoping Danny wouldn't notice that she was blushing madly in the dark. She nodded slowly, then suddenly leaned and kissed him. Danny, who wasn't expecting this, was initially too stunned to move, but then he gave into the kiss. Almost instinctively, Naomi wrapped her arms around Danny's neck, while he put one arm around her waist and –

"Danny?" Sam said, a look of utter shock on her face.

Danny and Naomi broke off the kiss. "_Sam?_"

_end Chapter 5_

* * *

**A/N:**

I really really apologize for the extremely long delay, but life got in the way of writing fanfics. I won't be surprised if some of you find the chapter confusing, because I decided to continue in the middle of the chapter. After two years. imagine that. The only part I can explain is that I forgot that I'd added in rain in one part, and suddenly it's dry in another. that's why the small dialogue between Sam and Maddie is awkward.

I think a lot has changed from what i had originally intended, but i think the essence of the chapter is still there.

so anyway, pls review, even if you hate it. just be sure to tell me **why** you hate it. I'll try to reply to you if I can.

P.S: why the hell can't i get a series of dashes and asterisks in? I don't like the horizontal rulers. can anyone help?


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